The Princess and the Pirate
by Neurochemical
Summary: AU. Maka Albarn is a princess who dreams of traveling the world. When she meets a mysterious pirate, both of their lives will change forever. SoMa TsuStar maybe some other pairings? Rated T for violence, language and adult themes!
1. Chapter 1

So uh, I've been thinking of a story like this for the past week, and I'm desperately stalling on my summer english assignment. This is the product of that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.

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><p>Princess Maka Albarn woke with a start after a terrifying nightmare. Glancing toward her window, she found it was earlier than dawn still. Her hand found her heart, which was beating rapidly. But already she was beginning to forget the dream that had startled her awake. It had involved a dangerous man with gleaming red eyes; that was all she could place. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She was safe, of that she was sure. The thought was calming and at the same time irritating as hell. Sighing, she flipped her legs off the edge of her queen sized bed, adorned with pink lace and gold seaming. Her feet found the lush carpet and she pulled herself up and to the picture window at her bedroom's wall. She threw open the curtains and peered out over the large oceanside town, illuminated by the nearly-full moon.<p>

Mideel was a major port of England, flourishing with trade and craftspeople of all sorts. The man who formed the successful port eventually had a castle built for him and his wife, which sat directly in the middle of the circular town. They had children and passed away, but the eldest son continued rule from the castle. Spirit Albarn was his name, and he found a wife, the beautiful Kami Albarn. The two had three children, the eldest being Black Star, and youngest being William. Maka was the unfortunate middle child, and being the only girl of the three didn't help matters much.

Maka continued to ponder her family and town's histories as she gazed out over the houses and markets to the vast ocean, glowing pitch black in the night air. Sure, her family seemed functional enough, but rumors had begun flying about a one Lord Albarn committing adultery with various mistresses. Maka would not believe the townspeople, who were overzealous for gossip, if she had not had her own doubts of her father from an early age. She watched with observant eyes when her father slipped from the castle at strange hours, and caught the worried look her mother gave from time to time. Maka may have gone unnoticed by her parents and siblings, but she noticed everything about them.

Her eldest brother, now the age of 19, was arrogant and bossy, but utterly determined to be the ultimate lord of Mideel. And William was the cursed younger brother, born without rite to become his father's successor. So at the ripe age of 9, he decided he'd become a naval commander, and was still training intensely 5 years later. Maka, however, had no purpose in the world yet. At age 17, she was expected no more than to find a suitable husband, either a navy man or even a lord of a neighboring town, and settle down bearing children. The thought utterly repulsed her. She had a sense of adventure only her mother might understand- Kami had sailed all the way from Japan when she met Spirit. Maka had her older maids tell stories of the places Kami visited before settling here- her mother had no time herself to be spending with her daughter. With every story Maka became more certain- she wanted to explore the world. She needed to travel, to escape this detestable castle. However, her father forbade it. She was not even supposed to leave the castle walls; Servants and pages were to find suitors and bring food and all the entertainment to her. But being largely ignored had its advantages; Maka had been known to sneak out occasionally to a nearby bookstore or market. In the end though, the maids and servants in charge of watching Maka always found her before she got even near the ocean.

Of all the things Maka wanted to explore, the ocean was number one by far. She longed to sail to remote islands and ports all over the world. She was plainly jealous of William, who would at least be on the ocean for his duty as a commander.

Maka's head always filled with these same thoughts when she sat in her windowsill in the middle of the night, staring at the beautiful body of water she would never see up close. If she could just _touch_ the warm bay water- smell the salty wind as it whipped through her hair…

Without thinking, Maka shot up and to her closet. She slipped on some pants she had stolen from Black Star a few years back and a loose blouse. She tied her hair up in a bun, with no other way to hide her long ashy blonde hair. She prayed anyone on the street would not get close enough to notice. She didn't even bother slipping on shoes, choosing stealth over comfort. Then she opened her door as silently as possible and expertly slid down the stairs, avoiding places the wood creaked. Her heart was pounding with adrenaline like it always did when she snuck out; God only knew what her father would do to her if she was found. But by some extraordinary stroke of luck, and by keeping to side hallways that were less inhabited, Maka made it to a back door without event. This particular door led to the gardens of the castle, and once she was out of them she would be home free-until someone noticed she was gone. She could only pray it be one of her personal maids, because they graciously never reported to her father what Maka had done.

Maka stole another look down both ends of the hallway before pushing the stone door gently until it opened. The aroma of flowers and fresh air greeted her as she slipped outside, a ghost in the night.

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><p>Maka crept along the streets, trying her best to keep out of direct light. Tonight, she was on a mission; all she wanted was to get to the ocean and back. Well, getting back she didn't think about so much. If a handsome sailor wanted to woo her and take her away she'd be fine with that…She blushed madly for even thinking such silly circumstances. She shook her head clear and continued along. With every new block she felt her heart soar; she was getting closer, closer, almost there…!<p>

Suddenly, the world went dark. A piece of musty cloth had been pulled over her eyes and she felt someone drag her into an alley. As she started to scream, she felt a hand clamp over her mouth. She bit the hand and heard a sharp hiss. Once pulled into the dark, narrow street, she felt the blindfold come off and she could see again- albeit not very well. The only thing she could make out in the dark was a pair of ruby eyes and a mess of white hair. The former made her gasp and think back to her dream; had it been foreshadowing? As she took in the stranger's appearance, he opened his mouth to groan.

"Agh, you're a girl!"  
>"Wha-How'd you know so fast!"<p>

"Your scream?" He shot back. His voice didn't match his ominous eyes and dirty face and hair. It was smooth and deep. Maka found herself wondering irrelevantly if he could sing. What a stupid thought to have of your kidnapper. She thought all of this within two seconds and answered,

"Oh. And why does it matter if I'm a girl! Changing your strategy from murder to rape _then_ murder?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "I won't go down without a fight, you pig."

"Wow_, fiery_," He seemed genuinely impressed. "But calm down, wench. I'm not planning on violating you." He looked very pointedly down at her breasts. "You're not my…type." Maka huffed in distaste.

"How dare you! I'll have my father-" She suddenly remembered her father had no idea where she was right now and would have her hanged just as quickly as her captor.

"Aha, so your father does not know you're out here, huh? Explains the outfit." Man, he caught on too fast. Considering he was probably a peasant, he was rather sharp.

"Anyways, I was just going to steal your money, since you looked from afar like an aristocrat taking a midnight stroll. Obviously, I was off."  
>"Hold on, you were going to steal? How indecent! You know, you could try to make your money the fair way, and-" Maka was cut off by the red-eyed man barking a laugh.<p>

"Oh, you're so naïve. You have no idea how the real world works, do you, love? Let me tell you, I've been around the world and-"

"You have?"

He sighed, clearly annoyed at her interrupting his rant. "I have what?"  
>"Been around the world?" He looked at her, a curious expression in his eyes. This girl was <em>odd. <em>

"Of course, I'm a pirate-"

"You are?" She immediately took a step back from him, though her eyes showed she was still fascinated. She'd read plenty of stories on pirates, but she couldn't be sure how much was fantasy, or even if they were real. But here one was, right in front of her..!

He groaned- clearly this would take a while.

"_Yes_, now will you quit interrupting me and-"  
>"Sorry," She spoke, then giggled a bit when he shot her an exasperated look for doing it again. "Really, keep going. But, can we, maybe walk while you explain to me how the world works? I have to be somewhere." She admitted.<p>

"You are _really_ weird. Where on earth do you have to be at this hour?" She couldn't deny, it was a fair question.

"The ocean," She replied, not even bothering to lie to this stranger that had moments before kidnapped her.

"What?"  
>"I just need to get to the shore." He shook his head, deciding against asking about it.<p>

"Okay, then let's go to the shore."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from a few streets behind them.

"MAKA!" It boomed. The color drained out of Maka's face.

"Is that…" The white haired man started.

"My father. _Shit_." There was no other word to describe the sinking in Maka's chest. On the one hand, she should be trying to get away from this pirate who she couldn't trust not to hurt her, but she realized how badly she wanted to hear his stories _and_ get to the ocean, even if he killed her after. Groaning, she pushed the man farther up the alley and whispered, "Go. If he finds you, you're dead." The man still looked baffled that this girl was the daughter of the _lord_ of Mideel. What rotten luck he had. That man detested him, as he had had some run-ins with the navy in the past. He always got away, which made Lord Albarn livid. In a few seconds, though, he recovered and slipped away into the darkness, leaving Maka to face her father. As she walked toward him, and could see his face, angry enough to make a small child weep, she braced herself for the worst.

_If it weren't for that stupid pirate, I could have at least made it to the ocean…_

But even as she thought that, she knew she didn't regret meeting the strange man. He was the most fascinating person she'd ever met, and they'd hardly talked at all. She made a silent vow as she approached her father, already screaming at her, that she would see the ruby-eyed man again.

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><p>Hm, so I typed this up really fast and only read through to edit once. I don't know, it kind of wrote itself. The pacing might be off, and there are bound to be some errors, but overall i think it could make an interesting story? Or...maybe I'm just way too obsessed with pirates. bwahaha. oh and i made Black Star Maka's brother! I always wanted to do that in a story, ehee.<p>

Anyways, please review! I don't even know what to rate this story, I'll make it T for now, but it could change! I clearly have no idea where I'm going with this. Any advice, suggestions, or commentary would help!

Thank you for reading~


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.

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><p>Maka sat with her arms crossed in her beloved windowsill, with a steely gaze out the window. <em>Stupid father, stupid pirate, stupid ocean… <em>Her father had blown a gasket when they returned to the solitude of the stone castle. Maka had sat absently, gazing at the steady sunrise through one of the enormous stained glass windows that littered the high walls and ceiling while Lord Albarn went on about how she was forbidden to leave these walls, and how dare she disobey her father, and who was that filthy peasant she was with! "If it was a boy…" He had started, but looked too perturbed by the thought to even continue it.

Maka had smirked, playing with the idea of falsely admitting to her father she was in love with a peasant boy, and would run away with him to a farm in Mexico. He would be_ so pissed! _She really didn't have respect for her father anymore, after all the rumors she had heard. How dare he bark orders at her when he was off _canoodling_ with random women, leaving her mother alone to rule the castle? Adding to Maka's frustration was simply the fact he had caught her. She was still a teenager, after all.

With a huff of fury, Maka growled, "Are you finished, father? I'm dreadfully tired and I'm sure you have other women, er, things…to attend to?"

His mouth opened in shock while Maka used the short silence as an escape. She turned and indignantly climbed the wooden stairs to her chamber. Little had she known she'd be _locked_ there for the next several days.

Her favorite maid, Marie, came to see her the next morning, for what Maka thought was to get ready for her first lesson of the day. Marie was kind to the bone and infinitely patient with Maka's stubborn ways. She had been a naval captain, one of the best women serving in the navy, until an unfortunate circumstance that Marie failed to be specific about left her with several broken bones and an eye patch. She was taken in by Kami Albarn then, as the two knew each other from sea travels long ago. Marie was the one who told Maka all the heroic stories of her mother's adventures. Maka thought of her like a dear aunt.

But she was still really upset when Marie didn't let her leave the room. She apologized over and over again, "I know how hard this must be for you but it was Lord Albarn's order that you stay in this room…" She doubted the reason in the Lord's order as well but she couldn't tell Maka that.

"So I'm not allowed to go to any lesson? Or to the dining room to eat, or to any ball my parents have?" Maka was beyond furious. Her father's solution was to lock her up in here, so that she could never escape again? She could kill the man. _The only thing possibly worse than being confined in this stupid castle is being confined in this stupid room! _And for the next three days, Maka sat stubbornly around her room, refusing to talk to Marie or any other maid that was to watch her. She only ate on the third day when she was absolutely starving, and she felt like she had lost just by doing that much. She knew being a brat wouldn't solve anything, but she doubted cajoling words would sway her father an inch.

That night, there was finally a change in the winds as a daunting figure appeared in her window. She soon recognized the glow of silver white hair in the moonlight.

_The pirate?_ She thought, still drowsy with sleep. She shook her head clear and darted to the window to get a better look. Sure enough, there was the pirate, struggling madly to get a good grip on the windowsill. She glanced back at Marie, who was asleep in a chair at her door before sliding her window open. It wasn't _supposed_ to open, but she'd taken the liberty of fixing that a while back. He put his arms through the windowsill, relieved to have something to hang on.

"What are you doing here!" she whispered. "My father would have you killed if you knew!"

He scoffed, "Yeah, I'm aware." Then his expression softened. "I just…wanted to know how you were doing." Maka paused, then whisper-giggled. "What! What is it!" The pirate looked somewhat amused, and somewhat irritated this girl was laughing at him after he'd climbed all the way up a freaking castle wall for her.

"It's just, aren't pirates supposed to be.. merciless and hostile? This seems an action more fit for a prince." The pirate looked unexpectedly alarmed at something she said, but quickly recovered with a toothy grin.  
>"Not all pirates are as bad as you read in your bedtime stories, love." Maka knew pirates called everyone <em>love<em> but her heart still jumped at the name.

"So," he continued, "Has your father revoked all outside privileges? Sent you to bed without dinner?" He was kidding, but he had no idea how close he was.

"Worse," Maka groaned. "I'm stuck in this god-forsaken room forever, it seems. I can't even leave to eat." The pirate was shocked. "He's starving you?" Maka laughed. Obviously a man's first concern would be about the food.

"No, it's brought up here for me." The pirate could see the unmasked bitterness in Maka's eyes. To her, there was nothing worse than being stuck in one place. One _room_, even. So his next words caught even him by surprise.

"What if you ran away?" Maka looked at him, inrediculous.

"What?" was all she could muster.

"Like, escape. Leave this damn castle and be _free_. Wouldn't that be nice?"  
>"Of course it would be nice," she scoffed, "But there's no way in hell I'll be able to leave. I'm under watch constantly." The pirate grinned at her again mischievously.<p>

"Not without some help, no…"  
>"Wait, you'd actually help me get out of here?" She paused, thoughtful. "Why?"<p>

"Why..?" he repeated. "Well, because…I see a thirst for adventure in your eyes. I can tell you need to travel as badly as I. You remind me of someone I knew when I was a little boy.." His gaze showed he was far away, thinking of his past. Suddenly, he returned his stare to her. "But I'm going to need something in return. You need to steal some things from your father. I'm not taking you aboard my ship for free, savvy?"  
>Maka was too excited to decline a single request he made. She'd be going on a ship, a real ship, on the ocean! "Just tell me what you need me to do," she vowed.<p>

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><p>Maka scrambled through her closet, picking out the least-girly pieces of clothing to take with her. She stuffed them, along with her ultimate favorite books and a few things a <em>girl<em> will need monthly in a cloth sack before turning to face Marie. She was still sound asleep in her chair, her chin rested on her chest. Maka smiled softly at the woman. She would miss Marie the most, but one nice person wasn't enough to keep her in this place.

Thinking of Marie, Maka suddenly remembered something invaluable. She rushed back to her nightstand and opened the drawer. She felt around the very back and returned with a necklace. It had a gold medallion with an odd engraving in it. There was an x and a skull and various other symbols Maka had no idea what about. Marie had given this necklace to her the day they met. She had said something about keeping it safe for her, no matter what. Maka never learned what that meant, but she was going to keep her promise. She clasped the necklace around her neck and hid it under her blouse, before glancing at her grandfather clock. It had been 20 minutes since he left, so it was almost time. She carefully hid her sack in her closet and returned to bed.

It was hard to simply lie there, listening to the pounding of her heart and waiting for commotion to arise. After what felt like hours, there was finally the queue she'd been awaiting. A rock was lobbed at her window, small enough not to do any damage but large enough to be heard. She glanced at her clock. 4 AM on the dot. This guy was precise. Shortly thereafter she heard the distinct sound of alarms coming from outside. They were shrill and loud, loud enough to wake even Marie up in an instant. _It's show time._

"What! What is it!" Marie stood with a start and hurried to the window. Maka pretended to lazily crawl up out of bed and follow her. Marie gasped at the sight. Maka tried not to smile. There was a group of people, cloaked in black with black masks on, fighting (and easily overtaking) the guards outside. To anyone, they would have appeared as,

"Bandits!" Marie screamed. She turned to Maka with a worried expression."I have to go secure the maids. Do not move!" Without another word, Marie hurried from the room, calling to the servants and workers to follow her to safety. _That was almost…too easy! _Maka didn't take any time to ponder it, instead rushing to retrieve her sack and heading out the door herself. All personnel had vacated the halls as Maka hurried down them.

After many halls, she was beginning to think she would get to her father's chamber without event, when someone appeared before her.

"…Marie?" She stood with a slight smile, before walking to Maka.

"I cleared all the workers away from the halls, so you'll have no trouble escaping if you go out the back door through the gardens. Your father and all guards are outside dealing with the 'bandits'," she said the word with air quotes, "So you don't have to worry about him."  
>"But…Marie.. how'd-"<br>"I know? I could see it in your eyes, Maka. You can act well enough but your eyes always give you away. Plus I…may have overheard some of yours and that man's discussion at your window." Maka smiled sheepishly. She should have known Marie would figure it out. But to think, she was actually helping her leave…

"Thank you, Marie. Thank you so much." Maka threw her arms around Marie. The older woman hugged her back and said, "No problem, Princess. I always knew you were destined to leave this place. You're just like your mother…" Maka pulled back and smiled. "Tell my father I was kidnapped while Elise was watching me. That way you won't get in trouble, that dreadful woman will."

Marie laughed softly. "Will do."

"And Marie, I'll come back to see you again, I swear it. Even if I don't go near this castle again I'll send for you. I promise!"

"Okay, Princess." With another hug, Maka was off to her father's chamber, or as Marie thought, outside. She didn't have the heart to tell her she'd be stealing before she left. Marie was kind-hearted but there was only so much she could understand.

Just as Marie had promised, Lord Albarn was nowhere near his room, which resided in the middle of the first floor. It was really dark inside, but Maka had no time to let her eyes adjust. She felt around the room for the familiar trunk by the bed. She knew from long ago that he kept a vast amount of jewelry and other valuables in his trunk. She almost felt bad for abusing his trust. Almost.

Finding the trunk, sliding her hand along the edge until she found the latch, she pulled it open. Even in the extremely dim light she could see the gold shining up at her. She opened her sack and stuffed in as much as she could. She then remembered the pirate's words as he explained, _if you find any paper, take it. What's written there could be more valuable than the gold. _She dug around in the trunk until she found a glass bottle with a bunch of paper rolled up and tucked inside. _This looks piratey_, she thought before shoving it in the sack as well. The cloth was now bulging and heavy, so she figured she had enough. She closed the trunk and hustled out of the room.

She glanced down the hallway to find it still unoccupied. After running down several corridors with the sack, Maka was sweating but at the back door- the very same one she'd snuck out of last time. She prayed this time would go smoother and shoved the door open. To her right, she could see the 'bandits' still fighting off guards. _They're really holding their own. But they are pirates; I suppose I should expect nothing less. _

She ran through the gardens and out the back exit of the castle. Waiting there to meet her, dressed in the same black as the rest of his crew, was the pirate.

"Hello," he greeted pleasantly, like they had just run into each other at the market. Maka laughed and said, "Let's get out of here!" The pirate brought his fingers to his mouth and exhaled in a sharp whistle. Then he grabbed Maka's hand and they ran like the wind. The pirate had told Maka he would let his crew know which roads each should take to shake off the guards, while he and Maka headed straight for the port. Maka remembered what she had picked up from his explanation.

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><p>"<em>Your<em> crew?" she had asked. He had smiled widely and replied,

"Of course, _my_ crew. I'm the captain of the ship. There's no other way I'd be able to order them all to do this for you." "Well, the treasure should keep them happy," he added as an afterthought.

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><p>When they finally reached the shore, Maka's lungs were screaming for mercy but she hardly noticed; She was at the ocean at last. She noticed a huge ship tied off at one of the largest piers- this was the pirates' ship. Some crewmembers were already on board, preparing the ship to leave port. Maka watched in amazement as they expertly moved ropes and sails around the vessel like second nature. <em>That's gonna be me<em>.

She turned to the captain, smiling widely. He grinned back, his ruby eyes glowing with pride, and gestured at the boat. "Welcome aboard the Shi no Fune, lass. I'm Captain Soul Eater."

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><p><strong>Weeeee, I'm getting this chapter up so fast. Today be my last day of summer vacation..Weep for me, mateys ._.<strong>

**So these characters, especially Spirit, are going to be OOC. I keep in mind how they usually act, but prefer manipulating them to meet my story's needs :3 hehee, **

**And if for some reason any of you are worrying about lack of Black Star's silly butt in this story, don't worry! I have this planned out. You will be seeing him later on.**

**As always, please review to let me know what you think! **

**Thanks for reading, me hearties~**


	3. Chapter 3

**THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED/FAVORITED/ALERTED! I love you all, seriously. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.**

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><p>The crew eyed Maka as she stepped on the ship, but quickly removed their skeptical looks as they saw their captain follow her on board.<p>

"What are you scallywags sittin' around for! Back to your stations! Prepare the ship to leave port!" Maka stifled a laugh at the drastic change in Soul Eater's voice as he addressed his men. _He is a pirate, after all._

She gazed around the magnificent boat. The dark wooden mast and deck shined like they were cleaned regularly. The sails billowed in the wind, the sun peering out from under them. She briefly pondered why the sails were plain white, rather than the classic black skull and crossbone pirate flag, until Soul caught her glance and explained. "We have to remain inconspicuous in ports such as Mideel if we want to avoid being hanged."

As Maka turned back to the captain, she noticed he was still carrying her sack. She motioned for him to hand it over, but he gruffly shook his head. "I'll be taking care of the treasure first. I'll give your belongings back to you later." He paused, giving Maka an odd look. He seemed almost, sympathetic? "Good luck, Maka." Then in a much louder voice, "Alright, lass! Tis your first day aboard the Shi no Fune, so you got to show us what you're worth! Swab the deck! When you're done with that, I'll be givin' ya yer next orders." Maka cocked her head to the side slightly. He was talking to her, right? He'd not mentioned working on the ship before…Come to think of it, Maka had never cleaned anything in her life. She figured she'd catch on well enough. How hard could it be to clean a deck?

An hour later, her arms and legs told her exactly how hard it was to swab a deck. She had to get in between cracks and scrub off dirt that seemed determined to make her sweat. Needless to say, after she finished, she was both immensely proud and dreadfully tired. She shuffled up to Soul and declared, "I've finished, cap'n!" He looked at her skeptically. "Aye, Kid! Com'ere a second!" Maka watched a man with jet black hair, aside from three horizontal white strips cutting across the left half, saunter up to them at the wheel. He carried an uppity air about him, and his clothes were remarkably clean for a pirate, Maka thought.

He reached them and asked, "What is it, Captain?"

"Check the deck! Is it clean enough?" The man named Kid scoffed before turning and sauntering back to the deck. He kneeled down and peered at it, smirking slightly. He walked back and gave his assessment. "Captain, I'd have whoever swabbed this deck do it again tenfold, and then give them bilge duty for trying to pass_ that_ wreck off as clean."

Maka opened her mouth in astonishment. She had done her best! Did she not get credit for that, even? She knew Soul Eater had to chastise him for being so rude, and then tell her she could rest. Perhaps eat some breakfast? Instead, he turned to her, nodding.

"You heard the man! Do it again! And again after that, until you can see your reflection on the surface!"

"It's wood." Maka said through gritted teeth.

He paid her comment no attention, continuing, "After you're done with that, Patty will show ya how to clean the bilge!" He barked a very hostile laugh before shooing her off. Maka could have screamed. Where was the kind man who rescued her from her castle? Surely this wasn't him. But if there was one thing Maka was, it was determined. She had too much pride to sit and whine about her aches and pains now- she had a deck to _re_-clean. Without a word, she stepped back down and bent to vigorously clean the floor once more.

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><p>In forty minutes, she had gone through the entire thing. Not only had she sped up her process, she was much more meticulous this time, so that the deck seemed to sparkle. Not even Kid could complain. When Soul called him back to check, he sounded almost defeated when he announced it was up to standard. Maka sighed in relief.<p>

"Now," Soul pointed out at a girl who was sitting on the opposite side of the boat, "Go talk to Patty about cleaning the bilge." He didn't even give her praise for her cleaning job thus far. She growled at him and stormed off to the opposite end of the boat. Cleaning this 'bilge' couldn't be so bad, right? Not if a little girl could handle it.

Boy was she wrong.

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><p>"Come on, ya filthy bilge rat! Hurry it up!" The girl named Patty laughed maniacally and swung her bucket madly around, making Maka do all the work as she waded through the bilge water like it was a waterpark. Maka had never met a stranger girl. She also didn't have time to think about it much, as she was shoveling the filthy water, mixed with debris and feces and the occasional dead rat, into a small metal bucket and carrying it up some stairs to an area of the ship she could dump it. She didn't know how long she'd been at this, but her spoiled body was <em>not<em> happy. Every time she so much as thought about slowing down, however, Patty gave her an evil smile and she did not want to know what that led to.

After what felt like an eternity of filling her bucket, she nearly collapsed in the waste. Patty laughed but Maka couldn't, just could not move anymore. She was sweating and tired and hungry. Patty said, "Whatsa matter, lass? You hot?" Maka turned and nodded just in time to have a bucket full of bilge dumped on her. She stared in shock as Patty continued laughing hysterically. She wanted to scream like a little girl, but she knew that wouldn't get her anywhere. _Damn you, Soul! You knew what you put me up to! Why me! _

Instead of finding the albino man and smacking him senseless like she wanted to, she picked her bucket back up and resumed her cleaning. Kid and others gave her a curious look when she reappeared, covered in bilge, looking like a drowned cat, but she set her face determinedly. There was no way she was going to cry or give up, if that was what Soul had planned. She was on this ship, and she wasn't going back.

A few hours later, she had gotten nearly all the water out of the bilge and Patty gave her a pleased grin. "Nice work, matey!" Her attitude seemed to shift from crazed boss to friend in an instant. Maka shook her head and headed back to Soul for her next duty. Clearly, she didn't realize her legs shaking and stars appearing in her vision from dehydration and being over-worked. She was climbing up the stairs to the wheel, where Soul talked to a companion about where they were sailing. And then the world fuzzed out and the ground caught her fall.

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><p>The first thing she thought when she woke back up was, <em>Shit! He's gonna kick me off his ship for sure! <em>She sat up and looked at her surroundings. She appeared to be on one of the hammocks for the crew. It was dark, the dim light of some lanterns casting an eerie glow on the room. Clearly, she had slept into the night. The rest of the crew lay around her, snoring away. Maka noticed a plate of food left by her bed- a piece of salted beef, some form of potato and a biscuit. There was also a tall glass of water. She scarfed down the meal, hardly noticing the taste, and drank the entire glass before leaving the sleeping quarters and heading back to the main deck.

She had slept through the afternoon and evening, so now she felt wide awake. She took some time to gaze out at the moon reflected on the ocean, before deciding she needed to make up for passing out like a wimp earlier. She got the supplies she needed and cleaned the deck, which had picked up some dirt already through the day. She finished it much faster than previously, so she decided to clean other parts of the ship, too. She wiped down the masts, railing, even the wheel. By the time she was finished, the sun was peaking over the surface of the water and some of the crew were up and about. They all looked thoroughly impressed with her handiwork. One lady, tall with a gorgeous figure and long black hair tyed up came up to Maka with a timid smile.

"Hi, I'm Tsubaki. The ship looks great- did you do this all alone?" Maka was relieved to meet a seemingly normal person on this ship.

"Hi Tsubaki, I'm Maka. Yeah, I felt pretty stupid after passing out yesterday, so I thought I should do something to redeem myself…"

"Oh, how nice of you. I'm sure you weren't prepared for the hard labor; None of us were. But you'll grow used to it. I checked out your head while you were sleeping, by the way…You didn't seem to have any bumps but if you feel odd today, feel free to let me know?"

"Are you the doctor of this ship, or something?" Maka asked curiously.

"Hardly. I know a bit of medical stuff, is all. Closest to a doctor you'll get on a ship like this, I suppose. I also cook the food. You got yours last night, right?"  
>"Yes, thank you for that. I was starving. And dehydrated, most likely."<p>

Tsubaki seemed like a really nice person. Maka hoped they could be good friends in the future.

"If you need help in the future, don't hesitate to ask. I've got to prepare the meals for today now, so if you'll excuse me…" With a wave and smile, Tsubaki headed back down the stairs she came from.

Throughout the day, Maka was given various orders by a still-evil Captain Soul. It was like he wanted her to exhaust herself again. And after learning how to adjust the sails, (she got to personally put up the coveted pirate sail, which she felt honored to do) navigate the wheel and endless amounts of other hard labor, she seemed on the verge of a similar fate to the day before. By the time she had finished everything she was ordered, it was well into the night and the rest of the crew were in their hammocks. She lay down on the deck and stared up at the clear sky. She had noticed today that more and more of the crew talked to her- it was like they had accepted her into their group. She dozed off with a content smile on her face.

* * *

><p>"Tired, ay?" Maka jumped at the voice, since it came from right outside her ear. She peered next to her to find Soul laying down beside her. He had put her sack down in between them- she had completely forgotten she had it. She gave him a steely glare.<br>"Need something, Captain?" He laughed softly.

"You can call me Soul, Maka. There's no one else around."

"Oh, so that's how it is! You can treat me like a human when your buddies aren't around, but as soon as they're watching you throw me around like _dirt._" He looked at her for a minute.

"Is that really what you think this is?" She threw her hands up in exasperation.

"What else would it be!"

He sighed. "Maka, you don't know how pirates are. We base everything off of actions, not words. I knew my crew would only accept you if you proved you were as brilliant as I knew you'd be. They wouldn't have believed you if you told them it, or even if I did." He paused and smiled at her proudly. "But you _did_ prove yourself, Maka. They love you. Tsubaki especially."

When he put it like that, it actually made sense.

"So…you don't hate me." Soul chuckled.

"Not at all. I'm rather picky when it comes to who I put on my ship. But I'm glad I chose you."

When he gazed at her like that, his ruby eyes seemed to melt and Maka's heart kicked up a few beats.

"So where are we headed, Captain? You never divulged that information to me."

"Ah, that I didn't. We're heading to Tortuga. You're gonna see how crazy pirates can be."

Maka didn't know whether to be terrified or thrilled.

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><p><strong>Woohooo chapter 3. I'm trying my best to update every day for you lovelies who reviewed! <strong>

**Um, not a lot to say here today. School sucked, if anyone cares. **

**Please review to let me know what you think! Your feedback means the world to me.**

**As always, thanks for reviewing!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ahoy, me mateys! THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed and favorited, YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! Sorry it took so long to get this up, with school starting and blah blah you don't wanna hear my excuses. read on! Also, yes, I am obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean so this story is going to bear some similarities to it xD I guess I should widen my disclaimer!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Soul Eater, or Pirates of the Caribbean.**

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><p>Maka stood at the bow of the ship, her feet atop the railing and her hands holding a firm grip on the edge. She grinned as her hair blew in the ocean breeze, inhaling the already familiar scent of seawater and fresh air.<p>

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me…" She sang softly.

"Having fun?" came a sweet voice from behind her. Maka was so startled she nearly fell off the railing.

"Ah, sorry!" Tsubaki called. "Didn't mean to scare you!" Maka quickly re-found her footing and turned to face the woman.

"It's okay," She smiled. "I was just lost in thought. It happens to me a lot," She admitted with a laugh.

"I just figured you'd want to know more about this port we're heading to? The captain told me you've never been out to sea before."  
>Maka laughed again, "More like never been out of my castle before. You can't possibly imagine how free I've felt this last few days." Her face showed she was lost in dreams again, of her sheltered life before she met Soul Eater and her exciting adventure now. Tsubaki unexpectedly frowned a bit.<p>

"Yes, well, I just wanted to…Well, I wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting yourself into. Our captain is probably the most respectable, kind pirate you're going to find. He's harsh when he needs to be, and that's rarely. We only steal from terribly rich royal families and he doesn't permit any of the crew to succumb to acts of rape or murder for no reason. But there are also the pirates you've read about."

Maka nodded solemnly. She was a quick learner; she'd realized this pirate ship was probably not the way most were run. Even within her castle, she'd met her fair share of nasty characters- she could only imagine how much worse it got without he rules of society to stick to.

Tsubaki continued, "At Tortuga, you're going to meet some crazy cool people. But you're also going to be in danger constantly. Of having your things stolen, of being hurt or worse. So today and tomorrow, I've convinced the captain to prepare you for the life of a pirate. Maka, this is your last chance. The captain has a soft spot for you; he'll take you back if you can't do this. Life as a pirate is one of incredible adventure, but also extreme jeopardy. Do you want to do this?"  
>Maka didn't have to think twice. She knew she was probably naïve to think she could live on a ship forever without some drawbacks. But she was ready to learn whatever skills she needed to keep this life. This freedom.<p>

"Yes. What do we need to do?" Tsubaki looked truly pleased Maka was so willing.

"First, you're going to need combat and sword lessons. Of course, these are only to be used as self-defense, but chances are you'll need them in Tortuga. Also, the second we get there, we're going shopping." At this, Maka looked confused. "You'll need to, er, dress as a boy when we make port at a place like Tortuga. You don't want to be taken advantage of in any way."

"Makes sense." Tsubaki was surprised.

"Really, that doesn't bother you at all?" Maka chuckled.

"What, you think because I'm a princess I automatically love dresses and curly hair? No way. That was never for me. I actually stole my brothers clothes when I snuck out at night."

"Oh thank god. When we told Liz about this rule, she threw a fit. We practically had to force the outfit on her."

"Liz… that's Patty's older sister, right?"  
>"Oh yes, you two have probably not talked much, eh? Well, she'll be coming with us when we get our clothes, so you two can meet formally then."<p>

"Alright, sounds good. So..when do I start my sword fighting lessons?" Tsubaki couldn't help but giggle at the delighted look on Maka's face.

"You excited?"

"I've always watched my brothers sword fight and wanted to try it out.." She admitted sheepishly.

"The captain actually offered to give you lessons himself. You're to meet him after breakfast."  
>"Sounds good!" Maka chirped, and headed off to eat as fast as she could chew.<p>

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><p>"Gah!" Maka cried as Soul pinned her again. He was careful to make sure never to stick her with the end of his sword, though.<p>

He smirked. "You didn't think you'd be able to beat me after only a few hours of practice, did you?"

Maka narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "Yes." Soul laughed.

"Quite the determined one. I must admit, you're an extraordinarily fast learner. Watching your brothers probably did you more good than you know." Maka smiled at his praise, effectively making him stare. Maka noticed how Soul changed when she smiled, like it brightened his day all on its own. She didn't understand it, but she used it to her advantage, swiping her sword up at him once more. He snapped out of his daze just in time to block the shot, and they swung their blades for a good few minutes before Soul caught Maka again.  
>"Damn, I thought I had it that time!"<br>"That, was not fair." Soul panted. No one had given him such a tough challenge in a long, long time. To think this princess could prove so deadly. Especially that damn smile.

Maka smiled innocently, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Soul couldn't tell if she was flirting with him or really had no idea what effect she had on him.

"Let's take a break," He offered, more for his own health than hers. She was breaking a sweat too, but looked as if she was ready to fight all day. Her stamina was incredible.

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><p>For the next day, Maka switched off learning sword fighting and hand combat skills, all from Soul. He seemed perfectly fine with neglecting his duties as captain to monopolize her time. She didn't seem to mind it either, though..<p>

At night, Tsubaki told her stories from their travels, which fascinated Maka like nothing else. She was living in a dream. She'd all but forgotten her old life until Tsubaki brought up a peculiar story of her past.

"This boy, I've never met anyone like him in all my years of piracy. The funniest thing is, he was my enemy- a boy from some lord's ship. I don't know why they attacked us, but it turned into a fierce battle. I was just 9 years old at the time, but I had been living on this ship since I was very young. It was my home. I didn't know what else to do but hide in the crew's quarters. This boy came down and spotted me- I was terrified he would kill me. Instead, he sat with me and we talked until the fighting was over. I got the distinct impression he was upset with what his ship was doing to mine, attacking for no reason, but he never said it. Instead," She laughed, "he said the most arrogant things. Like how he would surpass God and was the strongest man on his ship." She shook her head. "Such a strange boy. But I fell for him. I've been searching for him ever since. The sad thing is I never got his name; His father found us before he had a chance to tell me. He convinced his dad not to kill me, and then they were gone…"

By the end of Tsubaki's story, Maka was white as a ghost and barely breathing. She knew exactly who Tsubaki was talking about, probably better than anyone else in the world. Just to be sure, she tried to casually ask, "What else do you remember about him?" but it came out a bit estranged.

Tsubaki didn't seem to notice as she replied, "His hair. It was so odd, this strange shade of blue. Like the summer sky at high noon…" There was no question now. The boy she was talking about was her brother, Black Star. What could Maka do? There was no way she was going back home- nowhere near it. Her father was sure to be searching for her, and her brother may be accompanying him. Tsubaki would never meet her love without Maka being caught and dragged back to her father's abhorred castle. She just couldn't tell her. Not yet, at least. But she vowed to herself that she'd have Tsubaki meet her brother again someday.

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><p>Late the next morning, Maka heard Kid shout from the lookout post, "Land ho! Tortuga is in sight!"<p>

She sprinted to the front of the ship to see. There, a small patch of colours among the blue horizon, stood the port they were headed toward. Soul approached her and declared, "We should be in port by noon." Maka's heart soared with excitement. After her preparation, after all the stories, she was finally at the famous Tortuga.

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><p><strong>Alright, I know this is super short! Don't worry, I had a chapter almost three times as long but I broke it into two because I wanted to get this up right away and the second half needs work still. I'll put the next chapter up right after school tomorrow, or even tonight if I get reviews :D<strong>

**Speaking of reviews...(See what I did there?)**

**PLEASE REVIEW, LOVES! It makes my day to see people read and appreciate this story :') It's been a challenge to write so far. You'd be surprised at how much you need to look up for a pirate story, haha. Anyways, I keep updating because of all your incredibly kind and helpful words! **

**And as always, thank you for reading~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Uh, when I said right after school I actually meant 6 pm... oops. Didn't have my laptop right away. anywhooo, here's the next chapter. You guys make me so happy with your constructive reviews :')**

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Soul Eater. Arrrrrg.**

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><p>The second the Shi no Fune was tied off securely, Tsubaki and Liz pulled Maka off. They sprinted down the pier and to a shop right on the shore. Maka looked around frantically as they ran, taking in the scenery.<p>

There was a ton of people- they filled the piers, the shore, and the town she could spot farther from the shore. Most of them were very obviously pirates, dressed in stripes and old leather with eye patches and even a few peg legs. They were all so fascinating to look at, it was hard to tear her eyes away to gaze at the actual town.

Tortuga had a lining of shops along the coast, up until the cobblestones that marked the entrance to the town. There, a bundle of tall wooden buildings with signs like "Olde Inn" and "Jerry's Pub" stood along the streets, which were bustling with even more towns folk. That was all Maka could see before Tsubaki and Liz had her in the store, which she found full of clothing.

It ranged from a few fancy corsets for women to cheap rags of shirts for peasants. Liz and Tsubaki hustled along the racks, careful not to draw attention to themselves. Then they shoved a pile into Maka's arms, each keeping some for themselves, and all three headed to the curtained changing area. Once alone, they felt it safe to talk as they changed.

Maka was slipping on a pair of loose pants when Liz suddenly piped up, "So Maka! What's going on with you and our captain?" An interesting introduction, indeed.  
>"Wha-!" Maka sputtered out. "Nothing! What do you mean, what's going on?"<p>

"Ah, so the princess doesn't see it?"  
>"See what!" asked Maka, still dumbfounded.<p>

"Oh come _on_, don't you see the way he looks at you? All the attention he gives you? _I_ never got personal sword fighting lessons when I got on the Shi no Fune."  
>Maka thought suddenly back to when she had smiled at him, and caught him completely off guard. Did he actually have <em>feelings<em> for her? The thought brought up unfamiliar butterflies in her stomach and made her cheeks tinge pink. Was this…how she was supposed to feel about a man? The ones that came to her castle rarely even peaked her interest. Something like _love_ was completely out of Maka's grasp, or so she had thought.

Liz interrupted her reverie with, "Look! You're blushing! There's got to be something going on between you two; I'm never wrong about this stuff."

"I- I don't know." Maka answered honestly. "I find him really interesting, and I like spending time with him, but there's no way an incredible pirate like Soul would find me nearly as interesting."  
>"That is where you're wrong," Liz declared. "By the time we're back on the ocean, I will have made him realize his feelings for you. You can count on that."<br>Maka turned, panicked, to Tsubaki. The brunette just shook her head with a small smile.

"Once Liz has made up her mind, you're done. All you can do now is hope she doesn't embarrass you."  
>"I would never!" Liz scoffed.<p>

Suddenly, Tsubaki reached out to grab at Maka's naked chest. She was startled until Tsubaki grabbed hold of the necklace Maka forgot she was wearing. Tsubaki ran her thumb over the antique-looking gold medallion and asked, "What is this?"

"Oh, it's something I was given a long time ago by my mother's close friend. She told me to keep it safe, so I have. Though," she laughed, "I'd completely forgotten I was wearing it."

Tsubaki was still staring at the necklace when she replied, "Don't show anyone else this necklace, alright?"  
>"Why?"<p>

Tsubaki looked up into Maka's eyes, showing how serious she was.

"Just trust me. Please." Maka didn't know what to say. Did she somehow know about the necklace's origins? What made it so dangerous to flaunt in public? Liz laughed a bit unsteadily and agreed, "Yeah Maka, this place is crawling with thieves. It's not a good idea to show any of them your gold." Confused, Maka simply nodded and continued dressing.

The girls finished changing and stepped out to pay for their purchases. Maka bought three pairs of pants, of varying length and shade, along with three blouses, two long leather jackets, two vests-one black and one red, and one long-sleeved corset shirt for when Maka could dress as a girl again. She also got a dark brown hat to put her hair up in and a brown leather belt with a sheath for her new sword (Soul had given her his spare). Tsubaki had lent Maka the shillings to pay for it all, but Maka promised to pay it back as soon as she had any money- though, she wasn't quite sure how she'd get it.

Each girl had put on a boyish outfit and after putting their hair up in their hats, they were ready to visit Tortuga. Maka looked at her two new friends and grinned from ear to ear; with such great company, a man-like appearance and new fighting skills, she felt invincible.

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><p>"We're to meander around town until we need to sleep, and then we're to head to the Olde Inn. The Captain has rooms for us there." Liz announced as they headed down the stone road. A few men had punched them on the shoulder and smiled golden-toothed grins as acknowledgement already; They were pulling off their boy disguises.<p>

"Hey Liz, where's your sister?" Maka wondered aloud. Liz chuckled.

"Patty is in one of the bars gambling. She has quite the reputation in this port. So much so, in fact, that her gender and age don't get her in any trouble."  
>"Wow. Can we go find her? I'd like to see this."<br>"Sure!" Liz chirped, and they headed into Jerry's, the first bar they came to.

They found Patty in the third bar they searched, sitting at a table with four other men. They all had some dirty looking cards in hand, and Patty had that maniacal grin on her face, as always. She slapped her hand down and the other men groaned before pushing coins at the girl.

"Here she is!" Liz said. They headed over to the table as Patty glanced up at them.

"Hey bro!" She giggled. How she maintained that childish attitude while beating grown men at poker, Maka didn't understand.

They joined Patty and the others at the table and Maka grunted in the manliest voice she could muster, "I want in." Patty looked mildly surprised, but handed Maka some cards with a smile. "Oh, wait," she realized, "You don't have anything to bet with! Here, you can have some of mine. I'll get them back soon enough, anyways."

"We'll see." Maka smirked. She had played some poker back at home, and was pretty lucky when it came to the game.

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><p>After a few hands, Patty admitted, "Maka, you're pretty good at this!" Maka and Patty had about the same amount of money, and the men had significantly less each. They opted to quit playing, but the two girls weren't through yet. Liz and Tsubaki had long left the bar, so Patty and Maka stood up and asked for more challengers. In a few hours, they had racked up a load of money as well as some drinks. Patty was, much to her dismay, not nearly old enough to drink, and Maka didn't want to look un-manly, so she had to chug all the rum that came their way. By 7 at night, she was thoroughly drunk, and having trouble reading the cards, so she packed all her earnings into her pockets with a giggle and headed out to the street.<p>

She nearly bumped into a tall dark figure. Looking up, she started to say, "Sorry!" when she realized who it was. "Kid! What're you doinnn here!" Kid noticed her stumbling and steadied her. "Woah there. I'm just wandering around. I was taking care of some business before but now I'd like to go to my favorite place. Care to accompany me?" Kid was the most elegant pirate ever, Maka decided. He was so cool. "Sure!" She agreed instantly and they made their way to a large lit up building with loud music coming from inside.

"It's a bar," Kid explained. "But they always have live music and everyone dances. It's incredible!"

"Woohoooo, dancing!" Maka shouted. They ran inside and Maka laughed in delight.

There were couples doing some kind of fast-paced square dance on the huge floor cleared in the middle of the room. Along the sides lined a bunch of wooden tables, all filled with clapping spectators. On the left wall was a bar, and in the back was the stage, where a band consisting of a banjo player, fiddle player, two singers and a man banging on himself and the floor to create a beat resided. Everyone in the place looked like they were having so much fun.

Maka grabbed Kid and ran to the middle of the floor, promptly joining in on the dancing. As they danced, random drinks were passed around, of which Maka took swigs and passed on. Even Kid got drunk as the evening progressed.

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><p>"OOF!" Next thing Maka knew, she had fallen on top of Kid near the side of the floor. Her necklace came popping out of her blouse, hanging right over Kid's face. He grabbed it without warning and studied it.<br>"Where didju getthis?" He slurred. Maka dimly thought to Tsubaki's warning earlier that night.  
>"Uhhhhh, I'mnot supposda tell!" She got off him and he slowly stumbled up as well, keeping his blood-shot eyes on hers.<p>

"That'sthe treasure cap'n's been lookin' for" he told Maka.  
>"Whaaa?" she asked.<p>

"He's beena lookin' for that map fer a longgg time. 'Ts why he pickedya up in the first place, 'n had you steal yer daddy's stuff."

"Whaa!" she said again, this time in shock.  
>"'Ts true. 'N yer our sacrifice! Cap'n's gonna be so happy when he knows!"<p>

Her necklace was a map? She was a sacrifice? In her drunken state, it was all too much for Maka to bear. She ran out of the back of the large bar, leaving Kid behind to call after her.

She tripped over an uneven stone and fell flat on her face. She just lay there for a minute, hardly noticing the dull throbbing on her cheek where she was probably bleeding.

"Maka?" A concerned yet bemused voice in the darkness asked. It was soft and deep, like chocolate, she thought.

"Yeh?" she mumbled into the ground.

"Oh, you're alive." A hand reached down and grabbed her, turning her over. She sat up, suddenly staring into the eyes of a one Soul Eater.

"Soul!" she exclaimed. She momentarily forgot the reason she was here and latched on to his neck, pulling him closer to her.

"Hooo, you are drunk as a skunk, love," Soul commented. He pulled her up so that she was standing, but she almost fell over right away. He laughed and opted to scoop her up into his arms. "No more falling, Maka. You're hurt already." He touched her cheek as he spoke and Maka felt a dull burning.

"Where we goin'?" she asked happily as Soul walked down the road.

"To the inn. You're going to feel like shit in about two hours and I want you in the bathroom when you do."

"Mkay," she sighed and nuzzled his shoulder. He smelled like the sea, along with leather and cologne. A perfect combination, by her standards.

They got to the inn but Maka was half-asleep so she hardly noticed. She felt the warm presence of Soul leave as she was placed in a bed, and shortly thereafter she tumbled into the blackness of sleep.

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><p><strong>Hehehehe, drunk Maka is drunk. You might say this is horrendously OOC, but I beg to differ. Maka is one stubborn chicka, and she needed to look like a pirate dude! So, tis what she did. Mostly though, I love picturing her drunk so writing that was super fun for me xD In the next chapter, we'll get to see her waking-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-horrible-hangover! Woohoooo!<strong>

**I cannot say enough how much I love my reviewers. Like, Poisoned Scarlet, you're one of my favorite authors on this site and you reviewed my story :') Crazy stuff.**

**I have some of the next chapter typed up already, and I'll put it up tomorrow if ya scalleywags want! :3**

**And Thank you, yes, YOU, for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wooohooo, third day in a row I'm updating! ...Though, it's getting later and later xD Remember, I'm doing this for my fantastic reviewers! You guys are the bombbbbb. Er, that's not a very piratey word. You're all swashbuckling! **

**DISCLAIMER: I. Dont. Own. Soul. Eater.**

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><p>"Aughhh," Maka rolled over and her stomach turned unpleasantly. She immediately leapt up and found the bathroom (which was just a small room with a wooden seat over a deep pit, cleaned out regularly by the staff) before running to the toilet and hurling.<p>

"Augh," she repeated. Judging by the lack of light, it was still the very early hours of the morning. She bent over the toilet again. Whilst regurgitating, she felt someone pull her hair back for her. She turned and through teary eyes saw her captain.

"Thanks, Soul," she smiled weakly.

"You have no alcohol tolerance, and you drank _way_ too much tonight. This is gonna be rough," he forewarned. Maka grimaced.

But once she thought about it, she didn't remember a lot of what happened that night. She was playing poker with Patty, and then…she was dancing? There were drinks being passed around…Kid had said something extremely upsetting. What was..-

As it came back to her, causing her stomach to lurch, she pulled her head back to the toilet once more. She looked up at Soul with a mix of embarrassment and confusion.

"Why did you take me on your ship?"

"What? That's a random question."

"Just tell me." She quipped.

Soul put his hands up in retreat. "I told you when I was at your window," he said. "I like you. You remind me of myself."

Maka ignored the "I like you" part and pulled out her necklace.

"Are you sure it's not for this?"

Soul's eyes widened and he said, "Shit. Who told you?"  
>"What does it matter who told me! You lied! You only brought me on board the Shi no Fune because you thought I'd bring this. And kid said," Soul growled when Maka revealed who had told her, "that you need me as a sacrifice? What the hell does that even mean! You're <em>using<em> me!" She hadn't meant to sound so angry- she was just tired and hung-over and wanted some answers. And she had really come to trust Soul, she realized; He had been so kind. Was it all an act?

Soul simply pointed at Maka and declared, "That is exactly why I didn't want to tell you yet. You've got it all _wrong_."

"_Do_ I? Then please, Captain, explain-"

At that moment, there was a loud commotion in the bedroom, heard through the bathroom door.

Soul immediately took out his sword and Maka reached for hers, before finding the sheath missing. Soul must have taken it off when he put her to bed.

"Fuck," he whispered. He gave his sword to Maka, and went to peek through the door's crack.

Maka had to admit, it seemed like he cared about her protection.

Then again, for all she knew, this was an enemy coming to steal her necklace and Soul just wanted it safe. Sighing, Maka stood and against her stomach's protests, flitted to Soul's side.

"Who is it?" she whispered.

"It's him," Soul answered cryptically. Maka waited for an explanation.

He continued, "Maka, have you ever heard of Davy Jones?"

Maka thought she felt her blood run cold at his words. Of all the pirates she had read up on, he was the most fascinating. He, his crew, and his ship- the Flying Dutchman- were the most feared on the sea. They were responsible for the most savage of plunderings.

There was one book that said Davy Jones was given the job of "god of the sea", made to carry dead souls to the other side, giving up his duty only one day every 10 years to set foot on land. But he fell in love with the goddess who gave him the job, and she rejected him. Now, he refused to do anything for the good of the world. Anyone who dared defy him was stabbed once by his cold, cruel eyes and again by his sword. And if they stepped on his ship, they'd be part of his crew for 100 years.

It was a terrifying life story, to say the least.

Instead of giving Soul a lengthy explanation, she just whispered softly, "Yes," her voice barely audible.

"Well, you're about to fight his crew."

"…Oh god."

"Don't worry, there's only five of them in here and I'll be right behind you. I just need to get one of their weapons off of them."  
>"Soul, I can't do this! I'm not ready!"<br>"Of course you are, I trained you myself." Maka gave him an exasperated look.

"…Okay, so it was only for two days. But you're better than you give yourself credit for."

When she didn't move, he pushed her forward a bit and whispered lightly, "I won't let anything happen to you. Please trust me," before kicking open the door.

Maka almost screamed just looking at the men-at least, that's what she thought they were. They were all slimy and fish-like, as if they had spent so much time in the sea they had transformed. She dimly remembered reading about this in a book, but she hadn't thought it was _true._ In a few seconds, though, she recovered and stuck her sword at the man closest to her. He was sprouting tentacles from his arms and face, like a squid of sorts, and when he talked he spat uncontrollably.

"Ello poppet, a pretty little thing you are. Juuust like yer mother."

Maka's mouth dropped open, "How do you know who my mother is!"  
>The squid man laughed, "I'm on the ship of Davy Jones. We know every man and woman that sailed the seas."<p>

Maka had no answer for that, so she started fighting him again. Every time she attacked, he blocked in the blink of an eye and returned a blow in a second. Just what she'd expect from the crew of Davy Jones. _Soul, I can't believe you think I can beat these guys! _Thinking of Soul, she turned around quickly to see him fighting off an armed fish man with his bare hands. She could have stood and watched in amazement but that would have been the death of her, so she turned back and continued her fight with a new energy._If he can do that, I have to be able to take one with a sword, at least. _

After a few minutes of fighting off the fish men that came at her, she heard a sword drop and looked to see Soul scoop it up. Somehow, he had gotten it away from his enemy. Now they were both fighting off the five fish, constantly turning in circles to avoid attacks from behind. Two on five was a tough situation to face, and Maka would have asked Soul where the rest of the crew was, but she didn't want to chance the fish men going after them too. If she and Soul could somehow kill them here, the rest of her friends may be safe enough to flee the inn.

Maka thought back to the few times she had almost managed to pin Soul. What had she done? _Distraction_, she realized._ But smiling at them isn't going to work like it did on Soul! I have to do other things, anything to throw them off._ She proceeded to stab at a fish's sword instead of his body, and he was clearly not expecting it. The sword dropped, and Maka kicked it under a bed so that it was inaccessible. Without a weapon, the squid guy was helpless and it was all too easy to stab him through his heart. As he fell, Maka turned to face another crewmember. It looked like Soul had taken out two, including the one who's sword he got, so that left one for each of them. Maka hopped up on her bed and back down, then ran around the room like a crazy woman, her fish enemy chasing after her.

"Maka, what in god's name are you doing!" Soul shouted.

"Wasting energy!" She replied.

Dumb move. The fish understood what she meant and abruptly stopped chasing her. _Damn._ She knew she would lose if she just fought face to face, and she was running out of tactics. She only had one thing left as incentive now. She pulled her necklace out from under her shirt and yelled, "Oi, bilge rat, lookin for this?" The fish man's eyes grew wide and he lunged after it, leaving his body completely unprotected. She took the opportunity to strike and he fell to the floor.  
>"Yes!"<p>

"No!" Soul roared back. The fish man he was fighting darted out of the room, leaving a tired Soul and a confused Maka.

"Why did he run, all of a sudden?" she wondered.

"You idiot! You showed them your necklace! Now there's no question, they'll come after you! The daughter of Kami Albarn _and_ the holder of the key. Good god, what'll we do now…"

"Oh…right. Shit." Maka didn't really understand how her mother had anything to do with this but obviously the necklace was important. Everyone on sea seemed to want it. Just what burden did Marie leave her with...?

"Come on," Soul pulled her away from her thoughts. "We have to get the others and hide. Farther inland, preferably. Where those cretins can't find us."

"Where are the others, exactly?"

"They probably had some enemies to fight in the other bedroom too but there's way more of them. I'm sure they handled it well."

* * *

><p>They went to the next room over to find Soul's assumption correct. Kid, Liz and Patty sat on one bed, looking almost bored, and some other crew members sat on the other. Six or seven fish men lay dead on the floor.<p>

"Looks like you guys had a good time, eh?" Soul prompted.

"Captain, why did these freaks from Davy Jones' ship come after us?" Kid inquired.

"Clearly," Soul growled at him, "You don't remember the conversation you had with Maka earlier this evening." Without further explanation, Soul beckoned everyone to follow him out of the inn.

"We've got to get Maka somewhere safe."  
>"But <em>where<em>?" Liz asked.

"Haven't thought that far ahead yet," Soul admitted.

* * *

><p>They ran through the town like death was at their heels (it could have been, for all they knew), passing the occasional drunkard out late at night or shifty looking man in an alley. Maka barely had time to process it as they flew past. They were running through the streets, a few more, they were almost out of the town…<p>

Maka was suddenly reminded of another time she ran through a town-her hometown- in the middle of the night. _That time didn't end up going so well. This had better be different. _Unfortunately, it was not.

Out of nowhere, more fish men came through alleys and stopped the entire crew.

"Find a way around them!" Liz shouted. "We'll take care of as many as we can!"

"Thanks!" Soul answered before grabbing Maka by the hand and finding a narrow, barely noticeable alleyway to run through.

Behind them, Maka could hear the rest of the crew fighting off Davy Jones' henchmen. She thought, I'm causing them so much trouble. _But it's not like I knew what I was getting into when I put this stupid necklace on!_

They ran through the thin alley and into another, and then another.

"Aghhhh!" Maka yelled out in frustration. "Where do we go!"

"I don't know!" Soul shouted back.

Finally, their luck ran out and they ran into a dead end.  
>"…Fuck." Soul hissed.<p>

Just like before, out of nowhere appeared a fish man in front of the two. He resembled an eel, with slits for eyes, a yellowish skin tint and a skinny figure, with fins on his forearms.

Soul stepped in front of Maka and put his arms out as protection.

"Sebastian," he greeted with a frown.

"Who?" Maka whispered.

"He's the first mate of Davy Jones himself."

"Now Soul, don't be blocking me from the lady. Ya know your deal with Jones. He'll be reasonable with ya if ya hand her over without a fuss."

"Tah," Soul spat. "Like hell he will."  
>"Soul, you and the cap'n made a deal five years ago yesterday. Ya can't back out from this now. It'll be yer head if ya try."<p>

Soul shook his head curtly, clearly not willing to compromise.

With a sigh, the man named Sebastian strode toward Maka and Soul. Maka noticed how her captain tensed, but didn't move. Sebastian slapped him on the chest, and Maka heard a buzzing noise, like Soul was being zapped. Soul yelped and fell to the ground, unmoving.

"Soul!" Maka screamed.

"Don' worry about him," Sebastian smiled evilly. "He'll be fine. An' so will you, if ya come quietly." Maka took out her sword before running out of the alley, only to find the exit blocked by two more fish men. She didn't stand a chance. But she would go down fighting. She slashed across the two in front of her, before she felt a slimy pair of arms wrap around her waist. She screamed and elbowed Sebastian in the stomach. He didn't let go of her. The two fish men grabbed her legs and the three crewmembers proceeded to drag Maka from the alley.

"Soul!" she screamed again.

_Good god, the crew is all stuck fighting Davy Jones' fish men, Soul is unconscious and I've been captured. What is _with_ this damn necklace?_

* * *

><p><strong>Aw, you know it's love when they hold your hair back for you as you puke. Hahaha.<strong>

**Hm, so I feel like I rushed this chapter. Maybe because I didn't plan on Maka getting captured so soon xD Oh welllll, c'est plot development!**

**Anyways, comments? Suggestions? I love constructive criticism as much as I love treasure, arrrrrg! :3**

**Thank you for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ohmygod I suck. I suck so bad *cowers in a corner Chrona style***

**I was going to update like, five days days ago and then WABAM my teachers decided that would not happen. Since I last updated (and it hasn't even been that long?) I've had 8 tests/quizzes and countless hours of studying for them. BLAH.**

**So now here I am, finally catching up at 11pm friday night :') Hopefully enough people are up to read this 0.o**

**DUDE. My cat just made the weirdest noise, it was like ReOOOOOOWAH. The fuck?**

**Um anyways, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING/FAVORITING. I swear every chapter I expect not to get anything and then you guys write really thoughtful comments (shout-out to youu, Mae Silver :3) . I swear I take everything you say into consideration. I changed the story around like 9340857 times after reading reviews and pondering. Haha!**

**Phew. Long author's note eh? K I'll start the story.**

**I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT!**

**DISCLAIMER: je ne possede pas le Soul Eater.**

**Second disclaimer: that ^ french could be wrong.**

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><p>When Maka woke up, she had that terrifying feeling of being unsure of her location. Her stomach only dropped further when she remembered; she had been captured. She was in a cage, in the bilge of the Flying Dutchman.<p>

_How long have I been trapped here?_

Judging by the regular intervals her scarce amount of food was brought to her, she had to guess three days.

Three days is a _damn_ long time without moving, or seeing light, and in Maka's case, seeing Soul.

_Soul… _Maka wondered where he was. She remembered him being unconscious when she was dragged away, but she stubbornly told herself that he was fine. He was Soul, captain of the revered Shi no Fune. He would have escaped and saved his crew, if anyone could.

Maka felt like crying whenever she thought of the crew. She had convinced herself she was pirate material from the day she met Soul, but she was naïve. _I am nothing more than a spoiled princess. I'm not brave and strong like the crew; I'm probably the only reason they were all brought into this mess._

Sighing, she lowered herself to the damp ground, wincing at the putrid smell of bilge water and mold. She thought of Kid's reaction to such a filthy room and smiled for a second. But it quickly faded as she thought of Soul again.

"Arghhhh, they had better let me out of this cage soon, I'm going to go crazy down here!"

A sinister laugh in a voice Maka had come to recognize followed her words. She groaned; It was the idiot Giriko who had been assigned to send Maka her (pathetically inadequate) meals. He brought a small fire down with him, which illuminated their surroundings only dimly. Maka could make out his face, which strikingly resembled a shark. He even had little slits on the side of his face that looked like gills. His teeth were sharp and pointy, too.

He grinned and said, "Silly poppet, that's the point! Jones wantsya good and mad before he continues his plan."

"What plan?" She was seething at Giriko's obvious enjoyment of her torture.

He continued like she hadn't spoken.

"Ah, yer in fer such a surprise," he giggled uncharacteristically.

_This guy is a psychopath if I've ever seen one. _

Then he took a set of keys out of his pocket and Maka watched in surprise as he unlocked the latch on her cage.

"Comeon out, poppet! We've got a friend waitin' fer ya."

_A friend?_

"I said comeon!" Giriko shouted impatiently, shaking her cage. Maka hobbled out and stretched gratefully.

He shoved her up the stairs to the deck. Maka had to shield her eyes from the sun; after three or so days in the dark, the light was all but foreign to her.

When she slowly squinted her eyes open, she found an entire crew full of fish people glaring at her. Some wore scowls, others sinister smiles. Maka briefly wondered why all of the people on this ship looked so disgusting. Out of sheer curiosity, she glanced down at her own skin and found it still human-like.

Two fish men emerged from the crew; Maka recognized one of them as Sebastian. She locked eyes with the other man and knew by his eyes who he was. Davy Jones. The captain. He also stuck out like a sore thumb because he was barely fishy. A few scales on his arms, a slimy coat on his skin and some small tentacles on his chin but that was all.

When he met eyes with Maka, he smiled devilishly.

"So we finally meet, Miss Maka Albarn. Seems just yesterday I was meetin' yer mother in the very same manner." At once, his expression turned from sickly sweet to contemptuous.  
>"The stupid wench managed to escape, but I won't make the same mistake twice."<br>Maka had to bite her tongue to avoid screaming at him for insulting her mother.

Jones called to his first mate, "Sebastian! Yeh know what ta do. The rest of ya, back to work!"

At his word, the crew surrounding Maka slithered back to their part of the ship, picking back up their work.

Sebastian, however, hovered closer to Maka.

"I'm gonna show ya how ta clean the _bilge_ today," he looked proud, like he knew how disgusted this princess would be cleaning.

Maka snorted indignantly. "You think I didn't work as a new member on the Shi no Fune? I know how to clean bilge. I'll be done in an hour. No, wait, your ship is filthy. Better give me two." Before the eel even had time to register her response, she headed back down to the lower level, leaving the wooden door open to shed light inside. She found two filthy buckets and some sort of rags and pulled her sleeves upto prepare for her job.

When she returned to the deck with the buckets full, Sebastian was scoffing at her.

"Ya think that's tha worst of it, lassie. Jus' ya wait."

Maka shrugged off his threat, but in her head she was praising Soul and especially Patty for toughening her up on the Shi no Fune. Hopefully…hopefully she could work hard on this treacherous boat until she could figure out a way to free herself. If she was an asset, they couldn't kill her, right?

* * *

><p>For the rest of the day, Maka performed the most grueling work on the ship. The crew was slightly impressed by her insane amount of determination, though they never told her that. They were undeniably crueler than the crew of the Shi no Fune.<p>

Sebastian, however, only seemed to want to break Maka down.

At 10 p.m, when Maka thought she could head to a hammock with the rest of her make-shift crew, he chortled at her, "Where ya think yer goin', lass? You still needta swab the deck again."

Maka didn't dare whine or pout; She was set on proving her strength to the first mate.

As the night wore on, however, it became incresasingly difficult to avoid bursting into tears when Sebastian handed her another task. She ended up being forced to work through the night, into the next morning. And of course, this day was only harder.

Through the morning, Maka cleaned the ship, including the bilge, rigged the sails and checked the masts, even moved cargo around the vessels (this was completely unnecessary, Maka knew, Sebastian was just torturing her). She nearly collapsed multiple times throughout the day of sleep deprivation and overwork, staying conscious by sheer willpower. She hurled insults at Sebastian and Davy Jones himself every time a new job was appointed to her, but only in her head. She simply couldn't afford to quit now.

* * *

><p>Despite all her efforts, one can only perform hard labor for so long. In the middle of the second night, Maka slumped over on the deck where she was working, into a state of semi-unconsciousness. She vaguely remembered Sebastian finding her and heaving her up, saying something about punishment time. Next thing she knew, she was handcuffed to a mast and Davy Jones was in front of her, spouting something about seeing an old friend again.<p>

_Am…I dreaming? I must be dreaming_, she concluded.

Before her, stood Captain Soul Eater. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes seemed to be screaming at her for something. Trust me, she thought he was saying. Trust me.

She was still utterly confused when Davy Jones spat, "This is the man you put your faith in. A scalleywag! The second he was captured, he agreed to every one of my requests. A coward! This man has watched from the captain's quarters as you worked yourself to the bone for nothing more than the hope of seeing his crew again! How do you feel now, Maka?"

At this point, Maka was gaping openly at Soul.

"Soul, is he..is he right?"

He was a pirate, after all. He was only after her necklace in the first place; Now that Jones had it, why wouldn't he sell her out and side with the God of the Sea? It was as she thought all along- he never liked her at all.

If loss of sleep does anything to a person, it makes them emotional. Maka took Davy Jones' surprise to heart and tears swelled up in her emerald eyes. Meanwhile, Soul held a calm expression. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

He simply answered, "Yeah, pretty much."

So convincing.

But for a split second, could it have been? His eyes flashed a deep sorrow.

_You're just seeing things, Maka._

Jones continued, as if he needed to add more to Maka's heartbreak.

"Now, Soul and I have decided ya need proper punishment fer fallin' asleep on the job!"  
>Jones handed an object to Soul, which Soul stared at before grabbing uncertainly.<p>

A whip.

Maka dimly noted how it had started to rain, and how crew members had deemed this event fun enough to miss sleep over; They were crowding around, chuckling at Maka's misfortune. Sebastian turned Maka so that she was facing the mast and ripped her shirt up. Without free hands to cover herself, she was bare before the crew members that stood around her. They snorted while she reddened.

"Soul, will you really…?"

"Sorry, Maka." But his tone was flat- uncaring.

No sooner did she feel the white hot pain slash across her back than did her knees buckle and she fell, her arms still held up by the handcuffs. She yelped but immediately bit her tongue for letting it slip. She had to keep what little dignity she had left at this point. No crying, she thought with gritted teeth.

Easier said than done.

Again and again, burning knives, acid-tipped swords were being shoved into her backside. The pain was blinding, deafening. The world was dimming out before her again, and the audio of jeers and laughs from the crew was being turned down with her consciousness.

She lost count of the times she had been whipped. She could only pray the pain end; She would give anything for it to end. And it did, when she fell over for the second time that night, this time into a dreamless oblivion.

* * *

><p>When she awoke, the first thing that registered was the burning sensation from underneath her. Maka hissed and sat up slowly, trying not to disturb her back any more. Glancing around, she found herself back in the cage she began in. Light filtered in through the door leading to the deck- it was probably already late into the next day.<p>

When Maka remembered what had all happened last night, she screamed in pure frustration.

_Fuck you, Soul!_ she thought. _The entire time I was slaving away on this damn boat, you were basking in comfort. You lying, traitorous bastard! _

She was left alone for the remainder of the day to seethe with contempt, before her old pal Giriko traipsed down the stairs with her horrible meal.

"Oi, poppet, wakey wakey!"  
>"I'm up," Maka growled.<p>

"How ya feelin'!" Giriko couldn't be more pleased at her circumstances.

Maka hit one of the bars of her cage and said, "How do you _think _I'm feeling, filthy scum? I've been abandoned by my crew and captain, I'm in inconceivable pain and I'm stuck in _a fucking cage_!"

Giriko howled at Maka's deadpanned summary.

"Ah, you'll be happy to know then, that yer sufferin's almost up!"

"What do you mean." Maka didn't even phrase it as a question; she'd learned by now that Giriko wouldn't answer her.

Instead, he unlocked her cage and motioned her forward. When he hit her back to hurry her up the stairs, she screamed in pain. He only laughed.

Back on the deck, Maka found everyone was present for whatever came next. She gazed around to find who she was looking for- Soul's ruby eyes were dark and he stared at her unwaveringly. She snarled at him. _I could kill you,_ she thought. His mouth turned down into a frown.

The next thing she noticed was the piece of wood stuck out over the railing of the deck.

Her stomach dropped.

The blood rushed out of her face.

"Oh no," she whispered.

"Oh yes," Davy Jones answered from right behind her. She didn't have time to move before he tied a piece of cloth around her wrists, and then ankles.

He then marched her to the plank.

The crewmembers were practically salivating.

Soul continued to stare.

She tried to reason her way out of it. "I'm still of value to you!"

"How!" Jones bellowed.

"I can cook, I can clean! I…I!" She knew her argument was weak.

She would be walking the plank.

"Sorry poppet, but yer jus a burden on this ship of men! We'll be off ta find our treasure with yer fancy necklace now, and you can sink to the bottom of my locker! And ya can be sure that me n' Soul've picked a spot you'll never escape from, like yer wench of a mother! Argg!"

The crewmembers laughed insidiously and stomped their feet like animals. They were primal- they wanted to see a death and nothing else.

Maka was grabbed roughly and thrown up onto the plank. She turned to throw one more _What the fuck Soul! _look at her former captain, but he gave her no answers.

She knew she had no choice- she'd walk the plank. _Hey, I wanted off this ship. Looks like I got it._

Without another word, without any fight left in her, Maka hopped awkwardly down the plank to the edge, allowing herself one look at the deep blue water below before plunging in.

While she struggled underwater with her hands and ankles tied, she missed the commotion on board, followed by another splash.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh my god. I'm so tired. But I needed to get this chapter up.<strong>

**I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Soul is such a douche, no? (;**

**Please review, and I will have the 8th chapter up in the next two days :D**

**Thank you for reading~**


	8. Chapter 8

**The next chapter, as promised :3 This one's on the long side :o Lots of dialogue. I hope that's okay!**

**Disclaimer: Idon'townSoulEater.**

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><p>Maka spent 40 seconds under water, sinking slowly while she thrashed and kicked, attempting to remove the ties on her hands and legs. Finally, the one on her wrists loosened, and she kicked mermaid-style and paddled to the surface.<p>

She broke through and gulped in the glorious fresh air. When she looked back up at the ship, the crew was definitely not pleased she managed to live so far. What, did they think she couldn't swim? Well, if she was being honest, she couldn't before a week ago. Tsubaki had taught her while their ship was in shallower waters.

A few fish men tried shooting at her, but none jumped in after her. Maka squeaked and dove back under water, she hoped far enough under that they couldn't aim at her. Then she swam blindly away from the ship for as long as her lungs would allow.

When she bobbed back to the surface, she was considerably farther from the ship. They seemed to have stopped caring whether she died immediately. _It's not like I can live much longer with no food, in the middle of the ocean…unless.._

She scanned the horizon, searching for a piece of land to swim to. There was none. _I'm screwed._

She treaded water for who knows how long, contemplating her next move. She was already getting tired; she couldn't swim very far anymore, even if there was an island to go to. She was all alone. Just her and the ocean. _Funny, in another context I would have been ecstatic to be here, _she thought.

Suddenly, interrupting her thoughts was a splash a good distance away. Maka was terrified until she saw the fluff of white hair break the surface. And then there he was. Her former captain, the man she simply despised right now, Soul Eater.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me! If I'm going to die, I'd rather it be with anyone but you right now!" she shouted over at him.

Then he smirked-how dare he smirk!- and said, "Calm down, love. I've got a way to save us."

"Don't tell me to calm down! Don't call me love! You deceived me; you turned from your crew to join Davy Jones! You stupid shallow pirate!"

"Harsh words. Let's stop and think about them for a minute." By this time, Soul had swum all the way over to Maka. Damn, he was fast. "Am I still aboard the Flying Dutchman? No. Am I here to save your ass? Yes. Now will you let me explain what happened these last few days?"

He had a point. But Maka was stubborn, so she turned away from him with a "hmph". She would have crossed her arms if she didn't need them to swim.

Soul laughed at her attitude. "We're alone in the middle of the ocean. You really can't get away from me now. But if you don't want to hear my side, fine. Let's just start swimming."  
>"Where?" her curiosity got the better of her.<p>

"There's an island in the distance that's nearly impossible to see from the naked eye. I made sure Jones headed in a course that he thought was just open water and stop the ship right before he could see the island."

"Oh how sweet of you." Maka sneered.

"Tough crowd. Let's just swim." Soul didn't seem eager to argue with her. Maka wondered why. Could it be, he also felt like a bastard for the things he did to Maka? She scoffed. _Well, he goddamn better. _

Thinking of things Soul did to her, Maka realized the whiplashes on her back were stinging under her shirt. _Great, one more thing to deal with right now._

But as they swam silently, Soul stopping every so often for Maka to catch up, Maka couldn't help but be a tiny bit grateful to him. He was saving her now- despite all the terrible things he had done in the last few days, he was saving her. Maybe the necklace plan had gone awry and he didn't need Jones and his ship anymore. All the same, Maka was glad to have company right now, though she would never admit that to Soul.

* * *

><p>After swimming a good distance, Soul found a large piece of driftwood, and told Maka she could use it.<p>

"I'll just push you," he said, like it wasn't an extra 130 pounds to swim with.

Maka just looked at him in disbelief, and then he sighed and added, "I'm stronger than you, love. I've done this stuff before. Besides, your back..it's probably stinging really bad now, huh?" Maka noted that unexpectedly, Soul seemed actually worried that she was in pain. While she shrugged and hopped up on the wood, Soul said, "Look, I know you don't want to talk about it, but I'm really, really sorry I had to do that. If I didn't, one of the crewmembers would have, and they would have whipped you twice as hard, for twice as long."  
>"So I'm supposed to be grateful that you tortured me?"<br>"Of course not," he frowned. "Just.. I just want you to know that I would never have done it if I didn't have to. That was horrible of me."

Maka chose not to answer, because she was still pissed but she saw that Soul was truly remorseful. She didn't have the heart to yell at him anymore, especially now that he was pushing her to shore.

After a decent amount of water, a small island came into view. Soul was right, it was hard to spot unless you were pretty close. Maka noted several variations of trees but nothing else- you could easily see from one side of the island to the other. She sighed and lazily dipped her finger in the water as Soul carried her, noting how the water got considerably warmer the closer to shore they came.

Finally they reached the shore. Maka got off the piece of driftwood and waded in, Soul following her. When they both stood on the sand, the first thing Maka noticed was two bottles of alcohol tied to Soul's belt.

She glared at him. "You have got to be kidding me."

Soul smirked, "What? A pirate needs his rum..Who knows how long we'll be here."

"And you didn't think to bring, I don't know, _food_?"

"Relax, Maka," he drawled, "There's plenty of fish in the water and coconuts in the palm trees. I'll start gathering wood." And with that, he was off.

_Just how many times has he been marooned on an island before?_

Maka walked further inland so that the tide could not reach her later and dropped down to the warm white sand. She lay sprawled out, basking in the sun, while she listened to Soul rustle around in the trees, collecting wood. After some time, she heard him saunter back to her and drop a pile to the ground.

"No, that's okay Maka, I don't need any help getting the fire started. But thank you _so_ much for the offer."

"Mmmmm, my bad," Maka was half asleep already, and too relaxed to bother retorting to his sarcasm. Even though she was trapped on an island with only Soul for company, it was easy to simply lie in the sun and forget it all. _There's something so peaceful about solitude-or, near solitude, I suppose._

She cracked her eyes open to Soul, who was rubbing two sticks together furiously to start a fire. She chuckled, "Does that actually work?"  
>"Of course," Soul stated. "You just have to know what you're doing." And with that, he created a spark, which he expertly coaxed into a fire. <em>Impressive.<em>

He stood again, declaring, "I'm going to go catch some fish for us now. And before you offer, it's okay, I don't need help." Maka smiled and let him go, much too tired to move anymore_. It's been a rough last few days for me, I deserve a nap._

* * *

><p>Maka woke to the smell of delicious cooked fish. She sat up groggily; it was already dusk.<p>

"Hey," Soul started, offering her a stick with a fish on it.

"Thanks," Maka hadn't eaten anything decent in days, so the fish was mouthwateringly tasty. She finished the whole thing quickly. Soul had eaten three. Wordlessly, he offered her a bottle of rum. She looked at it with pursed lips.

"Come on, it's all we have to drink. There's _some _water in it, at least.."

He had a point- it was either the alcohol, or salt water. Heaving a sigh, Maka took the bottle and put it to her lips, careful to drink only a little. It burned down her throat and she made a face. Soul laughed.

"Amateur. By the time we're off this island, you'll be drinking like a champ."

"I'm not sure that's something to be proud of, Soul."

They fell into silence again, which was somewhat awkward. They both knew they needed to talk about what happened to them the last few days, but Maka wasn't sure she wanted to hear it.

After a while, she gave in. "Alright, fine. I'm ready to hear your side now."

"Okay. Well, where do I start…I guess I should tell you about the necklace. It's very, very old. It belongs to a family that goes back countless generations, but it's fallen into many hands of pirates. It's actually a map, you see, to a secret cave which is said to contain treasures unknown to any man. Those symbols on it?" Maka nodded, "They all stand for landmarks you must head to, in a certain order, to find the cave. But the necklace is so small, most find it hard to interpret what the symbols are. Hence why no one has succeeded in finding the cave. The last pirate that had hold of it…Was actually a part of the ancient family who are the rightful owner of the necklace." Soul paused.

"It was Red Beard. Red Beard Albarn." Maka gasped at the name. "It was your great grandfather," Soul continued. "But his son hated that his father partook in piracy, so he stole the necklace and kept it safe when he created the town of Mideel. He was very smart, your grandfather. He made sure word got out about the necklace being in multiple different places. He started rumors that it was in South America, Jamaica.. All over the world. And so, not many pirates successfully figured out where the true location was."  
>"So how did you figure it out?" Maka asked.<br>"Kid is.. rather obsessed with treasure," Soul admitted. "He spent a long time at countless ports gathering information on the necklace. Eventually the pieces just fit together for him."

"Wow." Was all Maka could think. "So the necklace is my family's heirloom, and a map to a cave of treasure?"  
>"Pretty much."<p>

"Wow."  
>Soul was fidgeting around now, though, like he had more to say.<p>

"What is it?" Maka inquired.

"Well, there's..one other thing about the heirloom.." Maka waited for him to spit it out.

"In the cave, before any treasure can be taken…There needs to be a sacrifice."  
>Suddenly Maka remembered what Kid had said the night in Tortuga.<p>

Her shoulders dropped.

"It needs to be a member of the Albarn family." He finished softly.

"So, me."

"Yeah."

"And that's why you took me on your ship."  
>"Well, that was the plan…"<p>

"But?"

"Me and Kid started arguing as soon as you were onboard."  
>"About?"<p>

"Um.." In the darkening light, Maka could scarcely see Soul blush. "I had taken a liking to you. And decided I didn't want to kill you." Maka gaped. He continued, "But Kid wouldn't have any of that. Like I said, he's obsessed with treasure. Don't take it personally." He managed to smirk at her. "I figured as long as we didn't have the necklace yet- it wasn't in the bag of stuff you stole from your dad, so I believed it was still at the castle- I had more time to think about it all."

"But then Kid saw my necklace."  
>"Right. And we obviously didn't have time to talk about it, because then you and I were captured."<p>

"Wow." Maka repeated. "Okay. Now I'm up to speed with the necklace. So can you tell me what the hell you were doing on Jones' ship?"  
>"Stealing the necklace back, of course." He grinned and pulled it out of his pocket to show her.<p>

"But now they're going to realize it's gone and come back for it!"  
>"I replaced it with a duplicate. It's nearly exactly the same, except for two symbols. They shouldn't realize any time soon." Maka breathed a sigh of relief.<p>

By this time, it was dark outside. Only the light from their fire and the half moon showed Maka Soul's face. His jaw was taut and he was staring at her with a certain intensity.

"What?" She asked.

"How's your back?"

She laughed at him. "Why do you care so much about that?"  
>Soul looked pained as he answered. "Maka, I never wanted to hurt you. That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do."<p>

Maka didn't know what to say. Before she thought up an answer, Soul scooped her up in his arms.

"Ah! What are you doing!" She exclaimed.  
>He carried her down to the shore, placing her in front of him with her back facing him.<p>

"Take your shirt off."  
>"Wha-!"<p>

"I'm cleaning your wound," he explained patiently.

Maka hesitated. Even though she trusted Soul, even as more than a friend, it was still awkward.

He laughed. "Really, Maka?" Afraid of looking like a child, she obediently took her shirt off, covering her breasts with her arm. Soul gasped and gingerly touched her back.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.  
>"It's okay, Soul," Maka answered, and she realized she meant it. Soul really pissed her off sometimes, but there was no way she could stay mad at him.<p>

She heard a rustle and craned her neck around to see Soul take his shirt off.

"What are you-" she started nervously before he leaned forward and got his shirt wet.

"This is going to sting," he warned.

Maka nodded and braced herself.

"Ah!" she couldn't help it, as the salt water licked clean her wound.

"Sorry," Soul said again. He dabbed softly at each whiplash, occasionally rinsing off his shirt in the ocean.

"Okay, I'm finished."

Maka turned and gazed at him. No more words were needed as the two leaned closer until their lips were touching. Maka turned to face Soul completely and wrapped her arms around his neck, forgetting they were both shirtless. He held her by the waist gently, careful to avoid her cuts, as they kissed with fervor Maka didn't know she had. Maka noted how Soul smelled once again, like the ocean and leather and cologne all mixed together, which was intoxicating. And he was so warm compared to the night air, she never wanted to let him go. _This is love_, Maka marveled.

After a while, she pulled back to breathe. She laughed softly, "This is so cliché."

"What?" Soul blinked.  
>"Oh come on. We're stranded on a desert island, and I was pissed at you to begin with, and now we're kissing. I feel like the star of a romance novel."<p>

Soul smirked at her, "You are so weird." But that didn't stop him from kissing her again, and again after that. Eventually, he carried her farther inland and laid her down in the dry sand, placing himself over her.

"Maka, are you sure about this?"  
>She'd never been more sure in her life. She wanted this life- she wanted Soul.<p>

And that night, she got all of him.

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><p><strong>Come on, you knew that would happen the second they were alone on the island xP I couldn't decide whether I wanted anything to happen, because, as Maka stated, SO CLICHE. But their relationship needed to progress. Now it has. bwahaha.<strong>

**So how'd I do? How's the plot coming along? There was a lot of explaining in this chapter- does everything make sense? REVIEW TO LET ME KNOW, ARGGG :3**

**As always, thank you, dear reader.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Its been a while. Im so sorry. Schools been kicking my ass, and ive had no creativity to spare, haha. But i finally got the next chapter down! Im determined to finish this story! Good thing christmas break is coming up :) okay anyways, i hope some old readers are still around to review this! Thank you, everyone, for your patience.**

**I do not own Soul Eater.**

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><p>Maka woke up with a burning back, a wicked headache and a fuzzy memory. Clearly, she'd had more rum last night than she thought. Turning over carefully to avoid hurting her back, she found a naked Soul.<p>

Her first instinct was to scream. So she did. Soul grumbled and forced his eyes open. He laughed at Maka's horrified expression. "Good morning to you too, love," he drawled.

"Did we…?" But Maka was already remembering. "Oh God."

"That's what you kept saying lat night, too," Soul winked. Maka completely ignored him and stood up, forgetting that she was naked as well.

"Oh God!" She repeated, running her fingers through her hair. Admittedly, there was a very small part of her brain that was completely elated at last night's events.

She thought that part of her must be insane.

Soul found Maka's display of after-the-first-time-panic hilarious; he was trying hard not to laugh. Maka noticed this and snapped out of her reverie. She also noticed she was naked. Screaming again, she searched frantically for her clothes, but couldn't find them. The closest protection was the ocean, so she darted there and sighed when she was deep enough to be covered. Glancing back to shore, she saw Soul completely lose it, doubled over in laughter.

She puffed her cheeks out and screamed, "Stop laughing, Soul! This is errible!"

"Why?" Soul yelled back as he found his pants and slipped them on. Maka saw her clothes now, too, but she was too stubborn to get out of the water.

"Why?" She practically shrieked. "We…we.." She became flustered at the thought of yelling it out loud.

"Yeah, and?" Soul questioned as he began walking forward to the sea.

"I was..I was drunk! And..well, that was..not okay to do!" She finished lamely.

"You seemed perfectly okay last night," Soul cooed, now standing before her in the water.

"I was _drunk_!" Maka repeated, exasperated. "I didn't know _what _I wanted."

"Like they say, wine speaks truth," Soul smirked.

"It wasn't wine, Soul, it was cheap rum."

He laughed and shrugged. "Same concept."

Sighing, Maka forced herself to calm down. Soul was sort of right- it wasn't that big of a deal. Not exactly the way she planned on losing her virginity, but, she realized, with the right person. So it would have to do. However, she was too sober and shy to admit this to Soul, so with a "hmph", she swam back toward shore and re-dressed.

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><p>At lunch time, Soul and Maka sat around their fire with more fish. Maka pondered their situation silently. Sure, they were safe for now, but they could only live off of fish and coconuts for so long. She realized, with a heavy heart, that she was probably going to die here. But, admittedly, she was glad she was with Soul. She'd probably go crazy here alone.<p>

They spent the day exploring the scarce island for any animal or plant that could be eaten.

They found some berries that Soul claimed were edible, and more coconuts than they could carry. Sitting down to make a meal of their findings, Maka dreamed of steak and potatoes. She wasn't used to being malnourished, and since joining Soul's crew, she'd been food deprived more than she expected.

That night, the two laid down by the dying fire, Maka making sure she kept a safe distance from her captain. She hadn't drank any rum and was not about to lose her head again. She fell asleep staring at the stars.

In the middle of the night, she woke up, shivering. The sun was far from coming back up and there was an ocean breeze that gave Maka goosebumps. She glanced over at Soul, who looked angelic in the moonlight. She tried to fall back asleep, but she was too cold. Sighing in defeat, she crawled over to Soul and got as close as possible without touching him. Without warning, he opened his eyes. _Damn, what a light sleeper._

He didn't say a word, but pulled Maka into his chest and wrapped his arm around her waist. She wanted to protest, but he was so warm she couldn't bring herself to pull away. She fell back asleep within minutes.

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><p>The sun fell on Maka's bare skin and she hummed contentedly. A loud woosh make her open her eyes and she sat up. Soul had threw his (or, probably her) bottle of rum into the fire, causing it to flare up. She sauntered over to him and said, "I never thought I'd see the day. You're burning the rum?" He sighed and nodded. "It's a sad sight, but it must be done. I've got to make the S.O.S flare big enough for Kidd to see."<p>

Maka stopped and stared at him. "What?"

He just pointed out to the ocean, where Maka could see the faintest outline of a ship.

"What." She repeated.

"Oh right, I never told you. Kidd knows we're here."

Maka had no words.

"See," he explained, "Kidd and I have talked over every possibility. We planned the escape situation that I used on Davy Jones' ship and decided this would be the island to try to get to. We promised each other that if the other got captured by Jones, we were to head here first."

"So, you knew the second we got on this island that we'd be saved." Maka said, monotone.

"Pretty much, yeah." Soul didn't look the slightest bit sheepish. Maka blew up.

"And you didn't think to TELL ME this? I thought we could die here! I was sitting here, thinking I would _die_ and you never told me otherwise! I only…" She stopped herself.

"You only what?" Soul narrowed his eyes. "You only slept with me because you thought you were going to die?"

"I didn't say that!" She argued.

"But you were going to."

"Well, yeah! Desperation makes you crazy!" She felt a little bad admitting this to him, but she was too pissed to care.

Soul scowled at her. "Well, princess, you'll be glad to know that once we're back on board, you'll never have to touch me again." His voice dripped with venom.

"Good!" She yelled back at him. "You can't make me get drunk and take advantage of me ever again!"

Her captain looked shocked and livid. "Take _advantage_? Maka, you know damn well that was a two-way street! You wanted to-"

"Ugh stop!" Maka didn't want him to finish that sentence. "You stupid pirate!"

"You prude wench!" He shouted right back.

By the time the ship had gotten to the island, Liz could make out Maka sitting cross-armed in the sand, and Soul doing the same a good fifty feet away. The sight was so typical and childish, she had to laugh. Patty stood next to her, giggling as well.

"Well sis," she said, "Looks like they aren't a couple like you'd thought!"

"Ah, Patty, that's where you could be wrong. Three days is a long time on a deserted island. Anything could have happened." She smirked. "I can't wait to ask Maka what happened."

Soul climbed up to the ship expertly, not even bothering to help Maka. She scoffed. _Not that I need any help._ She climbed up the ropes just as Soul had, trying to be as quick and fluid as him.

Kidd welcomed them back aboard. "How was your three day vacation, guys?" He joked.

"Terrible." They answered in unison, before glaring at each other. Liz cracked up all over again. These two were insufferable.

"Come on, Maka," she beckoned. "Let's get you cleaned up and into some new clothes." Maka nodded gratefully and followed Liz and Patty to the girls' quarters. On their way, they passed the kitchen. Tsubaki was busy making lunch for the crew. She dropped her spoon and hurried over to Maka when she saw her. "Thank goodness you're okay!" She cooed. Maka flinched when Tsubaki hugged her too tight- her back was still stinging. "What happened?" Tsubaki asked, concerned.

"Soul whipped me." Maka answered fiercely, not bothering to explain the situation fully.

Liz snarled, "What?" as Tsubaki turned Maka and lifted her shirt to examine the wound.

"Oh boy, this looks bad. But it's been cleaned properly…Did Soul help you out?"  
>"Yeah," Maka admitted. Liz now looked thoroughly confused.<p>

"So what happened?" Liz demanded as Tsubaki went to work bandaging Maka. "I want to know _everything_."

Maka sighed. She should have known Liz would want all the gory details. She relayed what all took place on the Flying Dutchman, earning lots of vulgarity from Liz and gasps from Tsubaki and Patty.

"And then once we were on the island, Soul cleaned my wound and…" Maka stopped, flushing.

Liz squealed. "And _then_?"

Maka wasn't one to lie. She took a breath and then stated, as fast as she could, "And then I slept with him and we caught fish and got in a huge fight and now I hate him." Patty giggled, Tsubaki blushed and Liz grinned knowingly. "Told you you guys liked each other! As for the arguing, welcome to relationships, hon."

"We are _not_ in a relationship," Maka answered defiantly. "That whole thing was a mistake and it'll never, ever happen again."

All three girls gave her dubious looks.

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><p>That night, the crew sat down to an almost-formal-dinner on the deck, in celebration of Captain Soul and Maka's return. The guests of honor glared at each other and Maka refused even a sip of alcohol, but overall, it was a nice night. Everyone was cleaning up and heading off to the sleeping quarters when an enormous splash was made feet from the front of the ship. Everyone ran for the rails to see what the problem was.<p>

Maka gasped and whispered, "Oh….shit." Soul, next to her, glanced at her inquisitively before he, too, saw the lit up ship heading for them.

"It's a naval ship," Maka said. "They found me."

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><p><strong>Yaaaay I did it! I thought I'd never get this chapter done. Since its been a while, there very well might be holes orinconsistency in this chapter, which I HATE. So if you see any glaring mistakes, please let me know in a review! <strong>

Thank you for reading.


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